Cooling apparatus for alkaline aluminate solutions.



R. S. SHERWIN. COOLING APPARATUS FOR ALKALINE ALU'MINATE SOLUTIONS.-

APPLICATION FILED Junie. m3. RENEWED APR. .17, 1911:.

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

rAamd UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH S. SHERWIN', OF EAST ST. LOUIS, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR EEO ALUMINUM COMPANY OI AMERICA, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

COOLING APPARATUS FOR ALKAIiINE ALUMINATE SOLUTIONS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 25, 1917,

Application filed July 16, 1913, Serial No. 779,328. Renewed April 17, 1917. Serial No. 162,756.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH S. SHERWIN, residing at East St. Louis, county of ,St. Clair, and State of Illinois, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in Cooling Apparatus for Alkaline Aluminate Solutions, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description.

The invention which constitutes the subject-matter of this application relates to a cooling apparatus, and while the embodiment of the same, as herein shown, is specially designed for cooling alkaline aluminate solutions containing solid matter in"- drawing precipitated hydrate from the lower part of the column and returning it to the upper part thereof, and continuing such withdrawal and return of hydrate while maintaining the column of liquor free from violent agitation whereb the precipitate collects in thelower portion of the column and is withdrawn therefrom with a minimum quantity of the liquor. The older practice consists, inter alz'a, in subjecting the liquor to. agitation, more or less violent, by

means of paddles, heaters, or similar devices working in the liquor, the prevalent belief being that more or less violent agitation was essential'to accomplish the precipitation of the hydrate.

The apparatus herein described isan improvement upon prior constructionsv used inthe precipitation of aluminum hydrate irrespective of the prior method adopted "in promoting such precipitation. The essential viding a novel apparatus by which the liquor can be subjected to a novel cooling proc- T ess while undergoing precipitation and by which the precipitated-hydrate, withdrawn. from the bottom of thd'tank, can be exposed to the atmospheric air and reintro duced from a point-above the center of the column of liquor while avoiding the forme tion of foam on the surface thereof. The reactions in the liquor are accompanied by the liberation of considerable heat and as a result the temperature of the liquor may reach a point where it seriously affects the rate of precipitation, especially in large units, in which the radiating surface of the apparatus is less in proportion to the cubic contents of the tank. Consequently, the precipitation is greatly augmented if the temperature-be maintained below a given point and this is accomplished, in the apparatus shown, by breaking up the liquor into a finely divided state and exposing the same to atmospheric air. At the same time it is essential that the "liquor be not cooled too fast. In fact the weather conditions may require that a large amount of the liquor be circulated through the cooling apparatus at one time and a small amount at another time. If the liquor is cooled too fast the hydrate obtained is much finer and precipitation does not take place as fully during the earlier period of circulation. Hence it is also one of the essential features of the invention to provide means for effectively regulating the rate of cooling of the liquor. Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure lis a longitudinal vertical section of the precipitating tank with the cooler secured to the upper end thereof;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, and ;Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the d1s tribut'er.

The vertical tank A, which may be cylindrical and which contains the sodium aluminate li uor,' is provided with a conical or hopper ottom-to the apex of which is connected a pipe B leading to a. centrifugal pump. C driven by a motor D to which it is geared. From the pump a circulating pipe feature of this invention consists in pro- E extends upwardly alongside thetank to at a point some distance above the center of the 'pr'ecipitat'or. At G I show a branch pipe provided with a. valve H whereby a portion or all of the liquor passing u the intO circulating pipe E maybe discharge the column ofliquor at or adjacent the up Beyond the branch pipe G a valve I is employed in the circulatper surface thereof.

lating pipe so as to receive the liquor containing solid matter in suspension and which saucer is so shaped as to cause the said liquor to spread on. all sides in a thin sheet which breaks up into fine particles as it falls. The liquor carrying the precipitated hydrate, broken up, as it is, by the distributer, is exposed, in falling from the said distributer to the precipitator, to the cooling action of the atmospheric air. A tower M ofcylindrical or other suitable contour, according to the shape of the tank on which the apparatus is used, and with a diameter less than that of the precipitating tank, prevents the liquor discharged from the distributor from being thrown over the upper edge of the precipitator. Between the top of the precipitator and the bottom of the tower or cylinder I provide a space to allow the air to enter and circulate upwardly through the cylinder to cool the liquor discharged from the circulating pi e.

The distributer L, which receives and spreads the liquor, must be high enough above the upper surface of the column in the precipitator to cause the liquor discharged into said distributer to separate into fine particles before it finally enters the liquor in the precipitating tank. If the distributer is located too close to the upper surface of the liquor, or if for any reason the stream of liquor does not break up sulficiently, it will cause the liquor in the tank to foam and run over the sides of the precipitator. The size and shape of the distributer is such as to give the best and most uniform distribution of the liquor within the area inclosed by the tower, and the amount of liquor passing through the circulating pipe, and hence the distributer, may be varied, as before suggested, by manipulating the valve I, according to the rate of cooling desired. I prefer to have the liquor, which circulates through'the cooling tower, all broken up into fine particles before the same reaches the bulk of liquor in the precipitator, without having any substantial proportion thereof thrown against the sides of the cooling tower, so that the spray of liquor has a free fall in the tower, and into the liquor in the precipitator. To accomplish this, I preferably make the velocity of the liquor striking against the spreader substantially uniform. For securing this result, I decrease the velocity at which the under the changed conditions.

liquor impinges upon the saucer L for which result I employ a pipe 0 whose internal diameter is greater than the horizontal portion of the branch pipe S, it being understood that the elbow F is of substantially the same size as the pipe 0. This construction is best adapted for a certain type of precipitators now in use, but if for any reason the size of the precipitator or of the ump or the height of the spray above the liquor or the height from the saucer L to the pipe 0, be changed it might become necessary to substitute for the pipe G a pipe of some other diameter in order to give the desired velocity In other words, the size-of the orifice through which the liquor is discharged to the saucer is adjusted to the proportions of the whole apparatus. Sutlice it to say, after the discharge orifice has been selected of a sufliciently large size, the rate of cooling of the liquor is regulated by manipulating the valves H and I ciple of regulating the spray depends on the fact that the distance which the liquor I-beams N located on the top of the precipitator. The use of the specific form of spray cup or distributor for the cooler herein described and shown removes the objection to the use of bafie plates or checkerwork which would soon become thickly coated with a hard scale of alumina, or alumina and soda, and necessitate frequent cleaning.

One of the dificulties encountered, in reintroducing the precipitated liquor at the top of the tank, resides in the fact, that 0wing to the viscuous properties of the solution, the same would foam and run over the upper edge of the container. To minimize this foaming of the liquor, according to the prior practice, the liquor carrying precipitated hydrate, withdrawn from the bottom of the tank, was discharged at the upper end there-- of slightly below the upper surface of the llquor. I have ascertained, however, that by reintroducing the liquor carrying precipitated hydrate to the top of the column of the liquor as a disintegrated spray, that is in the form of fine particles, this difliculty of foaming is completely overcome. This is accomplished by the apparatus above described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing. An important feature of this invention resides in the fact that by breaking upthe stream, before the -same enters the column of liquor, into particles, and exposing the same to the atmospheric air, a sufficient cooling of the liquor and precipitated hydrate takes place to hasten to a maximum the precipitation of the aluminum hydrate in the two branches of the pipe, as the prinfrom the liquor in the precipitator. Consequently, no additional meansare required to eifect the rate of cooling, as this'may be done in two ways by the apparatus herein shown; first, and as before stated, controlling the flow of liquor and hydrate to the distributer by means of thevalves H and I;

and second, by locating the distributer far- .ther from or nearer to the upper surface of the liquor column. The column of air in the tower serves, of course, as the cooling medium and the effect of raising and lowering the distributer will be obvious.

While the form of apparatus herein described is designed for cooling sodium aluminate liquor during theprecipitation of alumina the invention is equally adapted for cooling other liquors. The arrangement of the spray cup so as to receive the liquid from a single pipe or nozzle without the necessity of using baflies, checker-work or other surfaces below the spray cup to spread the liquor makes it applicable for cooling any liquid containing solid matter which might clog small openings, or form a coating or crust on such baifles, checker-work or other surface. Furthermore the invent-ion is admirably adapted to be used for cooling to the desired temperature any liquid which has viscous properties or any properties which would cause trouble by foaming when introduced or reintroduced into acolumn of' liquor.

. WVhatLI claim is: a

1. An apparatus for cooling a fluent material,- comprising, in combination, a deep open tank having means for'conveying ma terial from the bottom of the tank to a discharge point above the upper surface of the liquid therein, a distributer for breaking up the stream of liquid issuing from the conveying means into fine particles whereby the liquid is adapted to be cooled to the desired temperature by coming-into contact with the air while said spray is passing from the distributer to the surface of the liquid in the tank,'and means distinct from the tank tiallyall of said flowing material is broken up into a spray which has a free fall into the main body of liquid in said tank.

3. In an apparatus for cooling a fluent material,,a tank, a distributer located at a .point above the surface of the liquid in the tank, and-meansfor conveying material from the bottom of the tank to said dist-ributer, the interior of said conveying means being enlarged at its end adjacent said distributer whereby the velocity at which the material strikes the plate is reduced.

4. An apparatus for treating liquid, material, comprising a deep tank, means for withdrawing liquor from the lower part thereof, for elevating the same, and for reintroducing the same at the upper part thereof, a

spray-producing means located some dis-- tance above the normal liquor level in the tank to allow cooling airto come into contact with the spray from said spray-producing means, and a branch connection for delivering a part of such reintroduced liquor directly to theliquor in the upper part of the tank and for delivering another part thereof to said spray-producing means.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RALPH s. SHERWIN.

-Witnesses: I

C; E. I-Ion'cson, H. P. HELMER. 

